MixedNew York Journal of BooksThis love affair with [Orb 4] (and Taras) drips off every page, leaks from every flattering paragraph to the point where the reader is slapped in the face at how clueless and hapless Michael really is and nothing seems to bring him to reality with these facts ... There are short stories slipped between the pages that take place within the Metallic Realms, each one a loving tribute to authors such as Heinlein, Clark, Asimov, and Piper. Each story is a riveting intermission so good that the reader really doesn’t want to go back to the \'reality\' of the Orbit 4 group and the main story. Not that the story of the Orb 4 and Michael’s silent love affair isn’t well written, it’s that the short story intermissions are far more enjoyable ... Lincoln Michel is an excellent writer, for sure, but no matter how well written, the narrator of this book is so inept and obviously mentally unwell that it can be off-putting to the reader. His narrative style is so full of cringy adoration that it sometimes makes the story a bit of slog. It’s rather jarring to go from a soap-opera narrated by a hapless romantic to inventive and fun sci-fi and back again. It is an excellent idea for story, but the execution here leaves much to be desired ... All in all, if the reader loves a well-written story starring some rather unsympathetic characters mixed some geeky sci-fi, then give this book a try. Otherwise, pick up an old copy of Rendezvous with Rama and have a rollicking good time.
Lev Grossman
RaveNew York Journal of BooksThis could have been yet another Arthurian tale told ad nauseum over the decades, but here Lev Grossman stakes out a different kind of story that’s all his own ... The best thing about The Bright Sword is doesn’t become bogged down with minutiae, the narrative hums along grandly without stumbling over itself with florid verbiage. Grossman keeps the story humming at a pace with which the reader is comfortable. It’s a fresh perspective on a time-honored tale that brings an energizing twist that avoids the pitfalls of lesser works. Without a doubt this is Grossman’s best work to date.
Angus Macallan
RaveNew York Journal of BooksJust that kind of place needed for the next generation of fantasy enthusiasts ... Starting with sex and murder, Gates of Stone fires off like a cannon into a rollercoaster actionfest that keeps the pages turning well into the night long after the reader should go to bed ... although there is plenty of action, there are well-crafted characters to leaven an otherwise exhausting read ... there are a plethora of well-written supporting characters to keep the book from being one-note, which elevates it to the next level of fantasy writing ... There is enough between the covers of this book to leave any fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs and James Clavell anxiously waiting for a sequel.
